How to Write an NDIS Restrictive Practices Policy (2026 Template + Example)

Why your restrictive practices policy matters more in 2026

If you deliver Supported Independent Living (SIL) or any residential or community support that may involve behaviour management, your restrictive practices policy is one of the documents auditors will scrutinise most closely. From 1 July 2026, SIL providers must be registered and audited against the new SIL Practice Standards — and the Safeguarding outcome standard directly covers behaviour support and restrictive practices.

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has publicly stated that regulated restrictive practices are a compliance priority, with enforcement actions increasing significantly year on year. This article provides general information to help you build an audit-ready policy. It is not legal advice, and being audit-ready is not the same as being audit-passed — every provider's situation is different.

What the law actually requires: the short version

The core instrument is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018 (the Behaviour Support Rules), made under the NDIS Act 2013. Key obligations for implementing providers — those who carry out restrictive practices in day-to-day support — include:

• Never using a regulated restrictive practice without a current, NDIS-compliant Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) developed by a registered specialist behaviour support practitioner (registration group 0110).
• Obtaining state or territory authorisation for each regulated restrictive practice before it is used.
• Lodging evidence of that authorisation with the NDIS Commission.
• Reporting monthly to the Commission on each use of a regulated restrictive practice.
• Reporting any unauthorised use of a restrictive practice as a reportable incident — generally within five business days.
• Ensuring support workers are trained in the specific practices authorised in the BSP before implementing them.
• Working with the behaviour support practitioner toward reduction and, where possible, elimination of the practice over time.

Note: implementing providers cannot write their own behaviour support plans. That function belongs to a separately registered specialist provider.

The five regulated restrictive practice types

Your policy must define and address all five regulated types, as set out in the NDIS Commission's Regulated Restrictive Practices Guide:

Your policy should clearly distinguish between these regulated types and de-escalation or positive behaviour support strategies, which are not restrictive practices and do not require the same authorisation process.

What a compliant policy document must contain

There is no single mandated template from the NDIS Commission, but auditors expect your policy to address the following elements. The worked example below shows how each element can be written for a SIL provider.

• Purpose and scope — who the policy applies to and which supports or locations it covers
• Definitions — all five regulated restrictive practice types, in plain language
• Commitment to reduction and elimination — an explicit statement that the organisation works toward eliminating restrictive practices, not just managing them
• Authorisation requirements — the requirement to obtain state/territory authorisation and lodge it with the Commission before any regulated practice is used
• Behaviour support plan requirements — how the organisation engages a registered specialist practitioner; interim BSP timeframes; comprehensive BSP timeframes
• Staff training obligations — minimum training required before a worker may implement any practice listed in a BSP
• Monitoring and reporting — monthly reporting obligations to the Commission; how the organisation tracks each use
• Incident reporting — what constitutes an unauthorised use and how it must be reported
• Rights and dignity — how the organisation protects participant rights, consent, and dignity during any restrictive practice
• Review cycle — how often the policy itself is reviewed (typically at least annually, and after any significant incident)
• Roles and responsibilities — who is accountable: the Practice Manager, Support Coordinators, Team Leaders, Support Workers

Worked example: policy statement on authorisation

Below is an example of how a SIL provider might write the authorisation section. Adapt this to your own organisation's language, jurisdiction, and governance structure. Do not copy it verbatim without legal review.

4.2 Authorisation of regulated restrictive practices

[Organisation Name] will not implement any regulated restrictive practice unless:

1. A current Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) developed by a registered NDIS behaviour support practitioner is in place and specifically authorises the practice;
2. Written authorisation has been obtained from the relevant [State/Territory] authorising body; and
3. Evidence of that authorisation has been lodged with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission prior to implementation.

Where an emergency use of a restrictive practice occurs without prior authorisation, this constitutes an unauthorised restrictive practice and must be reported to the Commission as a reportable incident. The Practice Manager is responsible for lodging this report within the required timeframe and for engaging a specialist behaviour support practitioner immediately to develop an interim BSP.

What auditors actually look for

Under the NDIS Practice Standards — including Supplementary Module 2A (Implementing Behaviour Support Plans) — auditors do not just read your policy document. They triangulate across four evidence sources: your written documents, your records and data, what they observe in the service environment, and what your workers and participants tell them. Common deficiencies found in Commission enforcement actions include:

• Regulated practices being used without any current BSP (the most serious finding)
• BSPs that have not been reviewed within 12 months
• No documented reduction pathway in the BSP
• Support workers implementing practices they have not been specifically trained in
• Monthly reporting to the Commission not completed or incomplete
• Incident reports for unauthorised uses lodged late or not at all

Your policy on its own is not enough. Auditors will ask to see training records showing workers completed the required training before using a specific practice, the monthly reporting data you submitted to the Commission, and evidence that BSPs are reviewed on schedule and that the reduction pathway is being actively pursued.

The SIL-specific dimension

For SIL providers specifically, the new 2026 SIL Practice Standards add a further layer. The Safeguarding outcome standard goes beyond individual BSP compliance — auditors look at how you identify and manage conflict and behaviours of concern within a shared living environment, including between participants who share a home. Your policy should address:

• How you identify early signs of distress in the household dynamic, not just in individual participants
• How de-escalation and trauma-informed practice are embedded in your support model before any restrictive practice is considered
• How participants in shared living are involved in decisions about the use of restrictive practices that affect their household

Get a head start with our free SIL Readiness Pack

Building a compliant policy is just one part of SIL registration readiness. Our free SIL Readiness Pack is a plain-English checklist of what the Commission expects SIL providers to have in place — across behaviour support, governance, safeguarding, and the new 2026 Practice Standards — so you can see exactly where your gaps are before an auditor does. Download it at no cost from our homepage.

Policy review and version control

Your policy should be a living document. Set a minimum annual review cycle, and review it immediately after any of the following:

• A reportable incident involving an unauthorised restrictive practice
• A significant change in the Behaviour Support Rules or Practice Standards
• An audit finding or Commission contact about your practices
• A change in the participant group you support or the support settings you operate

Keep a version history with dates and the name of the approving officer. Auditors expect to see that the policy has been actively maintained, not printed once and filed.